Can crusher with safe entry and discharge chutes

Abstract

A can crusher is provided with a can feed hopper having an open inlet at the top of the can crusher through which opening a plurality of cans may be inserted one after another to fill the hopper. Sequentially, each can falls by gravity into a crushing compartment where a power-driven ram crushes the can axially to crumple the can's cylindrical wall thereby reducing the can's length to about one-fourth or less of its original length. The crushed can falls by gravity through a discharge chute to be automatically discharged. Each can in the hopper automatically falls in succession into the crushing compartment to be crushed and discharged. To prevent human fingers from being inserted through the hopper inlet or the discharge chute and into the crushing compartment, the guiding chute paths are non-linear and/or tortuous to reduce the length thereof and to block a straight finger insertion into the crushing compartment. To remove an uncrushed can from the crushing compartment, the can feed hopper may be detached; and this detachment operation automatically operates an electrical switch to disable a power drive for the ram to thereby prevent crushing of the human fingers removing the uncrushed can.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A can crusher for power crushing a sequence of cans inserted therein and for automatically discharging cans crushed in the lengthwise direction, said can crusher comprising: a lower base unit having vertical end walls and front and rear vertical walls substantially larger in width than the vertical end walls;   an upper can feed hopper detachably mounted on the lower base unit;   first walls including a sloped wall in the upper can feed hopper defining a downwardly sloped first path in a first direction for supporting a first, single row of cans;   second walls including a second sloped wall in the upper can feed hopper defining a reversely sloped path beneath the first path and being sloped in a reverse direction to the first direction for supporting a second, single row of cans beneath the first row of cans;   a crushing station in the base unit for receiving cans discharging from the second row on the second sloped wall in the detachable can feed hopper;   the crushing station being accessible with removal of the upper can feed hopper from the lower base unit for removal of a can therein;   a power driven ram in the lower base unit movable to engage an end of a can in the crushing station to crush the can lengthwise to reduce its length; and   walls in the lower base unit defining a curved discharge chute leading from the crushing chamber to a discharge aperture through which the crushed cans are discharged, the discharge aperture being in the lower base front wall.   
     
     
       2. A can crusher in accordance with claim 1 in which the discharge aperture has a height slightly greater than the diameter of a can and a width slightly greater than the thickness of a crushed can. 
     
     
       3. A can crusher in accordance with claim 1 in which the feed hopper is wider than the lower base unit with cans in the hopper unit being positioned outside of the lower base unit's width in their travel to the crushing chamber. 
     
     
       4. A can crusher in accordance with claim 1 in which a safety interlock is actuated by removal of the can feed hopper to prevent operation of a crushing ram, while a person's fingers are at the crushing station removing a can therefrom. 
     
     
       5. A can crusher in accordance with claim 4 further including an electric motor coupled to the power driven ram and an electric motor circuit, the safety interlock comprising an electrical switch in the electric motor circuit and an actuator on the can feed hopper to actuate the electric switch to enable the electric motor circuit when the can feed hopper is attached to the base unit and to disable the electric motor circuit when the can feed hopper is detached from the base unit. 
     
     
       6. A can crusher in accordance with claim 5 in which the actuator comprises a projection on the can feed hopper, and a slot in the base unit accepts the projection which moves through the slot to a position internally within the base unit to engage the electrical switch in order to enable the electric motor circuit. 
     
     
       7. A can crusher for power crushing of a sequence of cans inserted therein and for automatically discharging cans crushed in the lengthwise direction, said can crusher comprising: a lower base unit;   an upper can feed hopper detachably mounted on the lower base unit;   first walls including a sloped wall in the upper can feed hopper defining a downwardly sloped first path in a first direction for supporting a first, single row of cans;   second walls including a second sloped wall in the upper can feed hopper defining a reversely sloped path beneath the first path and being sloped in a reverse direction to the first direction for supporting a second, single row of cans beneath the first row of cans;   a crushing station in the base unit for receiving cans discharging from the second row on the second sloped wall in the detachable can feed hopper;   the crushing station being accessible with removal of the upper can feed hopper from the lower base unit for removal of a can therein;   a power driven ram in the lower base unit movable to engage an end of a can in the crushing station to crush the can lengthwise to reduce its length; and   walls in the lower base unit defining a non-linear discharge chute leading from the crushing chamber to a discharge aperture through which crushed cans are discharged, said lower base unit walls including a non-linear lower chute wall formed of lower wall portions oriented in different directions and a non-linear top chute wall formed of corresponding top wall portions, each lower wall portion spaced from and extending in the same direction as one of the corresponding top wall portions; whereby a person's hand is obstructed from entering the crushing chamber through the hopper and discharge chute during can crushing.     
     
     
       8. A can crusher in accordance with claim 7 in which the feed hopper is wider than the lower base unit with cans in the hopper unit being positioned outside of the lower base unit's width in their travel to the crushing chamber. 
     
     
       9. A can crusher in accordance with claim 7 in which the lower base unit has vertical end walls and has front and rear vertical walls substantially larger in width than the vertical end walls, the discharge aperture being in the front wall, and wherein the discharge chute along which the crushed can rolls from the crushing chamber to the discharge aperture is curved. 
     
     
       10. A can crusher in accordance with claim 7 in which a safety interlock is actuated by removal of the can feed hopper to prevent operation of a crushing ram, while a person's fingers are at the crushing station removing a can therefrom. 
     
     
       11. A can crusher in accordance with claim 10 further including an electric motor coupled to the power driven ram and an electric motor circuit, the safety interlock comprising an electrical switch in the electric motor circuit and an actuator on the can feed hopper to actuate the electrical switch to enable the electric motor circuit when the can feed hopper is attached to the base unit and to disable the electric motor circuit when the can feed hopper is detached from the base unit. 
     
     
       12. A can crusher in accordance with claim 11 in which the actuator comprises a projection on the can feed hopper, and a slot in the base unit accepts the projection which moves through the slot to a position internally within the base unit to engage the electrical switch in order to enable the electric motor circuit.